[ Kathleen/Mellon - 3 - 10:51:51 ]
Were signing on for our live chat with Linda!

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 4 - 10:51:51 ]
Hi Kathleen the chat will be begin at 11!

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 6 - 10:53:28 ]
This chat will be moderated so you won't see your question posted right away!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 7 - 10:57:14 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] During the chat, please read other students questions and Linda's answers. See if someone else has asked a question you were planning to ask. Maybe Linda's answers will give you an idea for another question.
Hi Everyone! I'm actually testing in the 16 Foot Transonic Tunnel. The model we're testing is an actual inlet, taken from an F-15 fighter airplane. (I can sit up inside it!) We're trying to see if a special kind of metal, Shape Memory Alloys, can replace the hydraulic systems that move parts of the inlet. The reason we test it in the wind tunnel is to simulate the airloads the inlet (and airplane) would see in flight.

[ Elaine - 9 - 10:59:03 ]
Volpe Center signing on from Cambridge, MA

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 10 - 10:59:04 ]
Welcome Volpe Center!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 11 - 10:59:24 ]
RE: [Tina] Dear Linda, What is the fastest speed you have ever traveled at?
I think about 200 mph, in a high-performance single-engine propeller airplane.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 12 - 10:59:26 ]
Hi Tina!

[ Margaret - 13 - 11:00:57 ]
Hi! We are signing on to chat with you from the University of Miami Take Our Daughters/Sons to Work day - there are over 100 participants - of those 20 are here at the Toppel Career Center ages 13 to 17 to ask you some questions.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 14 - 11:00:57 ]
Hi Margaret do you have a question for Linda?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 17 - 11:03:14 ]
RE: [CourtaneyCraig] hi. this is really cool, do u have aNy pets?
Right now, my 4-year old daughter has 4 goldfish, practicing for the dog we have told her she can have when she is 5. For the 12 years before she was born, we had 2 Weimaraner dogs, which is the kind I had when I was a kid. (My husband wanted a Beagle, and I wanted a Weimaraner, so he says we "compromised" and got 2 Weimaraners. ;-)

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 18 - 11:03:33 ]
RE: [CourtaneyCraig] I am twelve years old, and i have a brother that is 15 years old. I have a dog named Flutie and a cat named Furious. do u have any brothers or sisters? if so, are they older or younger
Cool! I am an only child.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 22 - 11:06:04 ]
RE: [MellonJulieAldred10yrsold] How many years of College did you need for your job?
To get my job as an engineer, I needed a Bachelor's Degree, which means 4 years of college. While I was on the job, I went part time and got a Master's Degree as well. However, the technicians in the wind tunnels have 2 year Associates Degrees, which is pretty much the first 2 years of an engineering degree.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 23 - 11:06:36 ]
RE: [MellonJuliaMacDougall12yearsold] Linda - what was your first job?
Dairy Queen, when I was 14. I still have trouble looking a banana split in the eye!

[ Merari - 25 - 11:08:05 ]
This is the Foundation Center signing in from New York.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 26 - 11:08:05 ]
Hi Merari!!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 27 - 11:08:23 ]
RE: [Kakada] What is the transonic speed range?
"Transonic" means "through the speed of sound". "Sonic" *is* the speed of sound, or Mach 1. "Transonic usually means from about Mach 0.8 to about Mach 1.5. The 16-Foot Tunnel operates from Mach 0.3 to 1.25. The model we're testing now will only go up to about Mach 0.8, because it's so big.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 30 - 11:10:36 ]
RE: [CourtaneyCraig] did u ever want to be something other than working at nasa when you were younger?
Funny you should ask....I started college as a Physics major, and wanted to be an astronomer. When I realized that to do much of anything in astronomy you needed a Ph.D. (8+ years of college) I decided I didn't want to be in school that long. I also found out I didn't do too well staying up all night, which astronomers have to do to make their observations. The cosmic joke is that when I came to work at the 16 Foot Tunnel, they ran "graveyard" shift, which was 11pm-7am, so I had to work nights anyway!

[ HanifaSeedat - 31 - 11:11:24 ]
Hello i am 11! my b-day is 8-11-88!

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 33 - 11:11:24 ]
Happy Birthday Hanifa!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 34 - 11:11:41 ]
RE: [Jessica] Hello. I am in the fifth grade at Dr. George Washington Carver School in S.F. If I want to become an astronaut like you, what do I have to do?
Astronauts come from many professions, including the military services. Right now, there is an emphasis on how people's bodies react in space, so doctors are going up a lot.

[ Kate - 35 - 11:12:36 ]
These are sixth grade students in Mississippi.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 36 - 11:12:36 ]
Welcome Kate from Mississippi what is your question for Linda Bangert, aerospace engineer?

[ sarah - 40 - 11:14:25 ]
What do you enjoy most about your job?

[ Alison_Friberg - 41 - 11:14:25 ]
Do you ever want to be an astronaut? Why or why not?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 42 - 11:14:27 ]
RE: [Kate] How long do you plan to work?
Today? I got in at 6am to take over for the folks on graveyard shift. Hopefully I'll get finished up by 3pm or so. "Normal" days (not in the wind tunnel) I can usually go home after 8 hours. If you meant lifetime, probably till I get my daughter through college, about age 56-60.

[ Kate - 43 - 11:15:32 ]
I know you work for NASA, but do you get to choose which NASA site you want to work at?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 45 - 11:15:47 ]
RE: [kristina] were you ever afraid of flying a plain?
No. My Dad was a flight instructor in WWII, and a private pilot after the war. He took me up as a kid, and I had so much fun, it never occurred to me to be afraid. Now I'm a private pilot too, although not current to carry passengers right now.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 48 - 11:18:13 ]
RE: [Lacherie] what do you do down there with them? why do you work there? why do you work so hard there with them?
I do lots of different things, managing programs, planning research, conducting wind tunnel tests, analysing the data and writing reports on the data. I usually have 3-5 projects going at once, in various stages. I like it because NASA gets to do work that is unusual, and sometimes no one has tried it before, or at least not in that same way. I think it's fun to do and try new things, even if they don't work sometimes.

[ LJB/OkiData - 50 - 11:19:13 ]
Hello Linda - My name is Karen and I have a group of girls here from Oki Data in New Jersey

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 52 - 11:19:13 ]
Hi Karen, What is your question for Linda?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 53 - 11:19:40 ]
RE: [Annie] do you fly the planes?
I can fly single engine propeller planes, but I'm not a NASA test pilot. They have even more specialized flight training. Some of the projects I'm doing research on might be flown as an experiment on a NASA plane someday.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 54 - 11:20:26 ]
RE: [Jaquayla] Hi, how did you becomeinterested in your feild?
Again, it was my Dad introducing me to flying. I thought all kinds of planes were cool, and wanted to know how they flew, and then how to make them fly better.

[ Kaila - 56 - 11:21:08 ]
Do you like watching the air plane? Do you like helping them?

[ kristina - 58 - 11:21:08 ]
do you have any other jobs?

[ Priscille_Dalexis - 59 - 11:21:08 ]
Did you ever want to be anything else before an engineer?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 60 - 11:21:16 ]
RE: [Kathleen] How old were you when you first flew a plane?
I don't remember, but I'm guessing 8 or so.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 61 - 11:22:01 ]
RE: [Shaquae] Why did you join the NASA " Aerospace Technologist ?
"Aerospace Technologist" is just a government title for "Engineer". No one ever said the government was straightforward. ;-)

[ marceisha - 64 - 11:23:30 ]
what were some of the classes you had to take to prepare for your field?

[ LJB/OkiData - 65 - 11:23:30 ]
How hard is it on a scale of 1 - 10 to do what you do?

[ Joii - 66 - 11:23:30 ]
When did you decide to become an engineer?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 67 - 11:24:28 ]
RE: [kristina] are any of your children wanting to fly a plain?
We took our daughter for her first flight when she was 3 months old. She went through a period when she was between 1 and 2 that she looked a little scared when we first left the ground, but after that, she thinks it's fun. My husband has let her sit in the front seat and work the controls a couple of times. Since he's a flight instructor, maybe she'll want to learn to fly when she's older. You have to be 16 to solo and 17 to get a license in a powered plane. For gliders, I think it's 14 to solo and 16 to get a license.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 70 - 11:25:50 ]
RE: [Antwanisha] Why did you ignore what your college career tests in high shcool said?
Partially because back then they asked your gender, and then the test said I should be an accountant or something like that. Also "teacher" came up a lot.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 71 - 11:26:31 ]
RE: [Lauren] What type of flyer do yout think is the best?
I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean what kind of airplane, or what kind of pilot, or something else?

[ g - 72 - 11:27:17 ]
hi

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 76 - 11:28:26 ]
RE: [marceisha] what were some of the classes you had to take to prepare for your field?
Math, and lots of it! Fluid mechanics, since air behaves like a fluid, stability and control of aircraft, aircraft structures, and all the English, history, and other stuff that makes up a Bachelor's Degree.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 77 - 11:29:34 ]
RE: [Kaila] ARE YOU MARRIED?
Yes, this summer will be our 17th anniversary.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 78 - 11:30:27 ]
RE: [Sheena] Hello. What is you greatest joy in your job?
Seeing a project I planned come off, and demonstrating new technology.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 85 - 11:31:54 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] how hard is it to be in the NASA program?
To get a job at NASA? I started when I was in college, as a coop. That means I went to school and was here at work alternate semesters. I think coop is a GREAT way to see what life at a particular job is really like, and if you would like it as a career.

[ LJB/OkiData - 89 - 11:32:24 ]
Did you have to go a NASA training camp to learn what you are doing?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 92 - 11:33:55 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] Do you do anything except NASA? ?
You mean work? No. My job, my husband and my 4-year-old keep me pretty busy. My hobby, when I can squeeze it in, is reading.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 93 - 11:35:37 ]
RE: [Annie] how can some one get started in learning how to fly planes? do you have to start that young?
No, you can learn at any age, as long as you're in good health. Some women pilot friends of mine didn't even learn how to fly until their kids were grown. The only catch to learning is to have the money for the lessons saved up so you aren't waiting for the next lesson till you can pay for it. It took me 7 years to get my pilot's license, because I didn't have the money all at once.

[ LJB/OkiData - 97 - 11:37:15 ]
Hi, my name is Nazhua .Why did you decide to work for NASA?

[ LJB/OkiData - 98 - 11:37:15 ]
Hi my name is Sabrina and I am here with my mom & I would like to know, is your daughter going to work in NASA too?

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 101 - 11:38:25 ]
RE: [Lauren] Well, which plane do you think is the best speed, endurance, etc.
If you look at the design of airplanes, maximizing speed and endurance make the airplane look very different. For instance, compare an SR-71, the fastest plane, to a glider, which is meant to stay up a long time. "Best" is being best at what it's designed to do. Having said all that, I think my favorite airplanes are the DC-3, one of the first airliners, which was in service in the 1940s, and the P-38, a WWII fighter. They are not only excellent at what they do, but they have a beauty and grace to their designs.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 102 - 11:40:39 ]
RE: [Andrea_Bugg] How much time do you spend with your family and how much time do you have to spend away from your family
8-9 hours a day, 5 days a week I'm at work and my daughter is in daycare. My husband works at NASA too, so we can have lunch together if our schedules allow. The rest is spent with my family. I'm lucky that my job doesn't cause me to travel out of town all that much. Except for the last 2 years, when I was gone maybe 4-6 weeks per year, I am out of town for work about 2 weeks per year.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 105 - 11:41:51 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] Hi, this is Cara and Tiffany. What college did you go to?
I started as a Physics major at Southwest Missouri State University, in my hometown of Springfield, MO. I got my Bachelor's Degree at the University of Missouri-Rolla, and my Master's Degree at George Washington University, taking classes here at NASA.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 108 - 11:43:12 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] did u ever go to ur moms work thankx shelli
Yes, my Mom was a bookkeeper for a home builder. Sometimes I would go to her office after school and had to read a book quietly or do my homework till it was time for her to go home for the day. My grandmother lived with us, and usually Mom or Dad would drop me off at home with Granny.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 109 - 11:44:00 ]
RE: [LJB/Okidata] were ya interested in nasa when you were a kid?
YOU BET! I was 9 when the moon landing took place. I thought NASA and anything to do with space was the coolest thing going!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 110 - 11:44:52 ]
RE: [LJB/Okidata] WHAT TYPE OF PLANE DO YOU FLY?
My husband and I own a 1949 Cessna 170. It seats 4, has a high wing, and one engine with a propeller. I learned to fly in a similar plane, but with 2 seats.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 111 - 11:46:36 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] werre u nervlous when u 1st joined?
Joined NASA? A little. I got in my little car and drove 1000 miles to share an apartment with 3 other girls who I'd never met and do a job that I had no idea what I was getting into. But that was coop. By the time I got my BS degree and came on as a full-time engineer, I'd worked here enough to be comfortable with everything.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 112 - 11:47:53 ]
RE: [Alison_Friberg] Have you met any famous astronauts?
I have met several astronauts, which I guess makes them famous by default, but never any of the Apollo astronauts or Sally Ride or other names you might recognize.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 114 - 11:49:05 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] Is it tough being a woman working for NASA?
Not usually. Most people are pretty decent if you do your job well. There are always a very few jerks in any profession.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 116 - 11:50:00 ]
RE: [Eveve] Are you involved in design work that helps NASA prevent obstacles on their missions?
The space missions? No. I work in the area of the first "A" in NASA - Aeronautics.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 117 - 11:50:15 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] thanx 4 answering us!
Thanks for coming to chat with me!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 119 - 11:52:01 ]
RE: [Margaret] Linda, The students here want to know if you can tell them what kind of grades you made in high school and your GPA?
My high school had a strange 14-point grading system, so not only don't I remember what my HS GPA was, I'm not sure how to translate it into a 4-point system. As a college undergraduate, I had a 3.5, and for my Master's I think a 3.2.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 121 - 11:53:42 ]
RE: [Margaret] Linda, Have you helped design anything that travels faster than the speed of sound?
Some of the fighter planes I work on can "dash" supersonic. I also worked on the High Speed Civil Transport, which was a passenger plane which would go Mach 1.6, but Boeing decided the time wasn't yet ripe for building one. The research is still good, though, and will be there for whenever the plane does get built.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 124 - 11:54:26 ]
RE: [Margaret] Linda, Is your airplane model testing related to future testing of space craft outside of orbit?
Personally, no. However some of the Shuttle re-entry testing is done here at NASA-Langely

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 126 - 11:55:51 ]
RE: [allison] did you ever think of being an astronaut?
When I was a kid, yes. When I was in high school, the space program sort of nose-dived. The Shuttle took it's first flight when I was in college. By then I was pretty sure I wanted to design airplanes, not fly into space.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 127 - 11:56:15 ]
RE: [Lucia] What state do you live in?
Virginia. NASA-Langley is in Hampton, Virginia.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 129 - 11:57:29 ]
Wow There have been over 167 questions. I know you have enjoyed chatting with Linda. Linda we have really learned a lot today! Thank you so much! Good luck with your exciting test on new materials for jet inlets!

[ Merari - 130 - 11:58:14 ]
The girls in our TODTW program (Annie, Lauren, Kristina, and Shauquare) are very grateful for your responses. Good luck!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 132 - 11:59:04 ]
RE: [Geleisa] How can you tell how fast an aircraft can go?
In general, the faster a plane needs to go, the thinner and stubbier the wings are, and the longer and skinnier the fuselage is. If you mean how fast a particular plane is going, there are instruments on board that tell the pilot how fast he's going. Usually it involves a pitot probe and a static pressure measurement. Try to find a website that describes this better and/or shows a picture. I know they're out there.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 133 - 12:01:24 ]
RE: [LindaBangert/LaRC] In general, the faster a plane needs to go, the thinner and stubbier the wings are, and the longer and skinnier the fuselage is. If you mean how fast a particular plane is going, there are instruments on board that tell the pilot how fast he's going. Usually it involves a pitot probe and a static pressure measurement. Try to find a website that describes this better and/or shows a picture. I know they're out there.
If you are interested in how planes fly at different speed you might like to go to the Regimes of Flight, http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/events/regimes

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 134 - 12:01:50 ]
RE: [Kirsten] when you were small what did you like doing?
Reading, just like now. I was also in Girl Scouts, and Civil Air Patrol. In high school I was in a drum and bugle corps, played in the handbell choir, was on the school newspaper staff, was the statistician for the football team my senior year (I actually lettered in football!), needlework, church choir....I liked to be busy!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 136 - 12:03:39 ]
RE: [Morgan] Why did you pick this department out of all the other departments of NASA?
I liked airplanes. Particularly I like new technology on airplanes, so that means military airplanes usually. If you look at civil airplanes (small, like we fly) and airliners, they don't look very different from what was flown in the 60s, or 50s, for that matter. Military planes put technology to use MUCH faster.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 137 - 12:05:03 ]
RE: [Liana] Did you ever think of quiting? If yes why?
We have had a couple of reorganizations that were pretty traumatic. My job now is not nearly as fun as it was 5-6 years ago, but it's still better than most things I can think of. I briefly looked into going back to school to learn archeology, but it would have meant another 6 or so years of school.

[ GirlsfromMellonEverett - 139 - 12:07:04 ]
Linda, Thank you for answering our questions. We appreciate you spending a whole hour with us. Thank you for letting us see what you do an for being so cooperative and patient. We thank you for informing us more about NASA. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. "The Daughters, Granddaughters, Nieces and Friends at Mellon Trust - Everett.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 140 - 12:07:26 ]
RE: [Amanda] What were you like when you were a kid? Were a kid?
Gosh, that's hard to answer. You would probably have to ask other people instead of me. I read a lot, and loved science. As I said, I liked to be busy so was into lots of activities. Maybe a little geeky though. ;-)

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 141 - 12:08:23 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] Hi my name is Sabrina and I am here with my mom & I would like to know, is your daughter going to work in NASA too?
I don't know. It will be her decision what to do.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 142 - 12:10:22 ]
RE: [jacklyn] What takes longer, a flight around the world, or a flight to outer space?
I'm not sure. The Shuttle takes only a few minutes to get into orbit, but then it takes only a few minutes to go all the way around the earth once it's in orbit. I'd have to look it up.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 143 - 12:10:42 ]
RE: [GirlsfromMellonEverett] Linda, Thank you for answering our questions. We appreciate you spending a whole hour with us. Thank you for letting us see what you do an for being so cooperative and patient. We thank you for informing us more about NASA. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. "The Daughters, Granddaughters, Nieces and Friends at Mellon Trust - Everett.
Thank you for joining us today, please join us again for more aerospace chats at http://quest.nasa.gov/aero!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 144 - 12:11:54 ]
RE: [Kate] I know you work for NASA, but do you get to choose which NASA site you want to work at?
When I was in college, NASA-Langely was hiring coops, so it was sort of an accident. I don't regret it though. Virginia is a neat place to live.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 145 - 12:12:50 ]
RE: [Alison_Friberg] How long have you been working at NASA as an aeronautical engineer
I started coop in 1980 and as a "real" engineer in 1983.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 146 - 12:13:36 ]
RE: [LJB/OkiData] Did you have to go a NASA training camp to learn what you are doing?
No. I learned the detailed knowledge I use on the job.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 147 - 12:16:47 ]
RE: [Briana] When did you start your job? How old are you? What do you want to acomplish? How does it feel to have an astronaut for a dad?
My Dad was a PILOT not an astronaut. There were no such things as astronauts when my Dad was young enough. I'm 40. I started co-op when I was 20, and I've never had a concrete goal as in, "I want to make $xxxxx salary" or "I want to cure the common cold." I just try to do the best I can at my job. Some pretty amazing opportunities have come my way by keeping my eyes and mind open to them.

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 151 - 12:22:41 ]
RE: [Sabrina] While you were on the road attempting to achieve your goal, was there anyone or anything that stopped you or slowed you down?
Sometimes things don't happen as quickly as I think they should. Since my life's story isn't over yet, I can't really say if they slowed me down in the long run. Every day there are a million small forks in the road. How different our lives might be if we changed just one.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 149 - 12:20:13 ]
Linda Thanks again for answering so many questions. I know I am inspired! Thanks kids for all the good questions!

[ LindaBangert/LaRC - 150 - 12:20:28 ]
Susan, it was fun, as always. Thanks! Linda